I drove to Waikoko Campsite in the Kaimanawa Forest late Sunday afternoon - it was already half full when I arrived around 5pm. It’s popular because it’s the closest campsite from Kaimanawa Road and the road is still sealed at this point, and it's FREE. There's a good-sized cooking shelter, long-drop and the water supply is a river a couple of minutes' walk downhill. The Umukarikari car park is about 500m on a gravel road. It’s a very small car park, so if it’s full when you get there, drive down to the campsite and park there instead. There have been mixed reviews on security when leaving your car on the side of the road.

Mobile reception: I’m with OneNZ, and I had 4G/5G at the campsite and most of the track. There was no reception at Waipakahi Hut. Track times: I'm a desk-fit creative, so my walking time doesn't surprise me at all. This is a challenging tramp, 14km one way with an elevation gain definitely felt much longer. 



Umukarikari Track | 14km one way | 9.5 hours (6-8 DoC hours)

I woke up to a half-charged phone - either my power bank had a glitch, or it wasn’t charged fully when I left the house. I decided to drive up to the Umukarikari Track car park and charge my devices through my car while I got ready. Good choice, as the car park was pretty much full and only just had enough room to park my car near the entrance. I met a family who were also heading up to the hut as well as a couple and their dog who were out for the day

I got going around 7.30am, and had a solid uphill for about 40 mins before the relief of a short downhill. The humidity at this time of the morning was mind boggling - I couldn’t believe how much I was sweating! The forest canopy goes from Kauri to an enchanting Beech forest - it’s pretty magical. I first met Maria and Fiona when I stopped for a drink and a quick snack. They were heading up to Waipakahi Hut too, and had plans to walk back via the Waipakahi River, camp overnight, then head out on day three. I had planned to do the Kaimana Middle Range Route, camp overnight along the Waipakahi River, then head out on day three too. All three of us ended up walking back via Umukararikari Track the next day.



The sign at the track entrance said I should reach the treeline in 2-3 hours, and I got there in about three hours. Not a bad effort. You can usually tell when you’re getting close to the treeline - the track narrows, it becomes eroded and walking turns becomes more of a scramble (especially if you have short legs like me). A blue pole marker signals the end of the treeline. Without the shelter of the bush, I noticed the wind for the first time. The rolling clouds brought in a cold chill, and it would be another 30 mins of climbing before I finally got to enjoy some sunshine. There were a scattering of runners, trampers coming down from the hut and that cute doggo I met at the carpark.


A wave of relief washed over me as I spotted the signs marking the junction with the Urchin tops (the link to the Urchin Summit Track). This was the halfway point. I had been struggling with a cramp on my right quad for over an hour (which eventually made its way to my left quad), so progress was slow. The elevation gain was getting to me and I seriously questioned if I had the legs to get to the hut. The tops is about 8km of the track, add to that over 1,000m of elevation gain overall, the track can feel a lot longer mentally. I used Sharp Cone (1,481m) and Umukarikari (1,591m) as my next landmarks. After that, I had a few kilometres to enjoy the views of Lake Taupō and the Kaimanawa Ranges.


The hut first comes into view about 2km before the end. If you check your elevation, you know that your knees will be up for one heck of a descent. Before you drop back down to the treeline, there’s a 100m down the ‘steps’. They’re not actually steps, but wooden slabs to help manage erosion. In the bush, you’ll make your way down a narrow track with loose rocks, a handful of big step downs (or in my case, some bum sliding) and plenty of Mānuka that just wants to give you a hug. Even when you can see and hear the river, trust me, you’re still nowhere near the hut.

As cold as it was, the waters of the Waipakahi River felt refreshing on my feet. I stopped to fill up my water bottles before walking the last five minutes up to the hut. When I got to the hut, I learned most of the people were tenting, apart from the family I met earlier. They had one bunkroom and I had the other all to myself.



The next day, I made sure I headed out by 7.30am again. I stopped quickly at the river to top up my bottles before making my way up the steep track. I’m a stronger scrambler than I am going downhill, so the uphill climb didn't feel as strenuous as the previous day. I got past the treeline in about 40 mins, and before I knew it, I was past the ‘steps’ and enjoying the views at the tops. It took another couple of hours before the morning clouds finally cleared and revealed Tongariro in the distance.

Much like the descent to the hut, I found the descent through the forest and to the car park a real mental game. The balls of my feet were rubbing badly from having wet socks at the river crossing, the constant downhill terrain not helping my cause. It was a bloody long day - it took 8.5 hours in the end. I definitely earned the fish n chips I had for dinner in Turangi that night!